


A Day at the Pool

by blackat_t7t



Category: Suits (US TV)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-27
Updated: 2011-08-27
Packaged: 2019-08-07 06:40:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16403234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackat_t7t/pseuds/blackat_t7t
Summary: Harvey and Mike talk to some clients by a pool. Mike falls in, and can't swim out.





	A Day at the Pool

**Author's Note:**

> Imported from LiveJournal on 10/24/2018
> 
> Original notes: written from a prompt [here](http://suitsmeme.livejournal.com/2038.html?thread=3218934) on [](https://suitsmeme.livejournal.com/profile)[](https://suitsmeme.livejournal.com/)**suitsmeme** : Mike can't swim. Harvey finds this out the hard way. Bonus points if Harvey was a lifeguard in High School.  
> 

Harvey couldn’t help but feel uneasy as he watched Mike lean out over the railing around the pool deck on top of the condo their current clients owned. “Harvey!” Mike called. “This view is amazing!”  

“I’m sure it is,” Harvey agreed. “And I’m sure it won’t be when it’s speeding past you several yards per second. Stop playing and get over here.” Mike turned away from the railing reluctantly, and Harvey breathed an internal sigh of relief.  

Their clients, a couple who had inherited an apartment building from an uncle and then completely remodeled it into a condominium, were now dealing with a construction company claiming the job was now costing almost ten times the original estimate, which up until a few weeks ago they had said they would stick to. The construction company refused to finish some last touches until they were paid, and the condo would lose money if its official opening, only a few days away, was delayed because it wasn’t completed.  

The couple, two women who suspected their orientation was the reason the company was trying to cheat them, came out onto the pool deck. One of the women held a tray with small sandwiches and lemonade on it. “Mr. Specter, Mike, please help yourselves,” the woman, Tiffany, said with a smile as she set the tray on a table.  

“How strong is this case?” her wife, Miranda, asked. “We don’t have the money to pay what they’re asking. If you can’t make this case, we’ll go bankrupt.”  

“We have a very strong case,” Harvey assured them both. As he spoke, his eyes were constantly flitting from the women to where Mike was standing by the railing again. “For one thing, Mr. Korlus is willing to testify that he believes the company was within the budget he gave you at the beginning, and that all the extra charges are tacked on for show. We’ve also found evidence that  Morison fired several workers whom he suspected of being gay, so we can show a history of discrimination. It’s not even a question of paying what he asks; with this you could file a discrimination lawsuit against Morison and win almost as much as he’s trying to charge you.”  

“We don’t want a drawn out legal battle that would drag us into the limelight and bring bad publicity to the condo,” Tiffany said. “We’ll be happy if they just charge what they asked in the beginning.”  

“Of course,” Harvey agreed. From the corner of his eye he saw Mike step back from the railing, and the set of Harvey’s shoulders relaxed just a little. He smiled and accepted a glass of lemonade from Tiffany. Harvey was just about to suggest terms to the settlement that would force the company to stop discriminating, but his words were interrupted by a loud splash.  

Harvey turned back to the pool, instinctively glancing around for Mike even though he knew he must be under water. Harvey watched the white patch in the pool where thousands of tiny bubbles obscured the place where Mike had fallen. Mike surfaced, coughing and flailing his limbs.  

“Get out of that pool,” Harvey chastised. “We’re not here to play.”  

Mike bobbed under water again, broke the surface just long enough to choke and gasp another breath, then went under again. He wasn’t playing.  

The shock of fear Harvey felt at seeing Mike in danger was almost immediately overridden by another instinctive response, one that had been drilled into him by hours of training. He didn’t hesitate; the glass of lemonade fell from his hand and he sprinted across the deck, diving into the water without any regard for the suit he would later complain about ruining. The fabric was heavy and limited his movement, but Harvey was a strong swimmer. In a few strokes he was at the bottom of the pool, where Mike was starting to go limp as lack of oxygen forced his brain to shut down. Harvey scooped him up in one arm and kicked off the bottom of the pool, launching himself to the surface. He hauled Mike’s limp form to the side of the pool, where two sets of eager hands pulled him from the water.  

With some assistance from Tiffany, Harvey pulled himself out of the water, fighting the weight of his wet clothing. He knelt over Mike and quickly unbuttoned the jacket so he had access to Mike’s chest, then loosened the tie. The shirt he tore open, not having the patience to contend with several buttons and sodden fabric. Harvey placed his hands over Mike’s heart and pressed down, counting off the beats and trying to follow the rhythm of his own heart. Then he put his hand over Mike’s nose and pressed his lips against Mike’s. Although panic overridden by the memory of the drills he’d run was in the forefront of his mind, the feel of Mike’s lips -chapped, wet, soft, cold- didn’t escape him.  Harvey felt Mike’s body jerk, and immediately pulled back to roll Mike onto his side as he coughed up water. Harvey patted his back with one hand, helping to expel the water from his lungs, and watched Mike’s face anxiously. When Mike could manage steady, if rattling, breaths, Harvey allowed him to sit up. Miranda brought towels over and draped one around Mike’s shoulders and the other over Harvey’s, though he ignored it while he tugged Mike’s towel more snuggly around him.  

Harvey helped Mike to one of the lounge chairs lying by the pool and had him sit back on it. He stood over Mike, hovering, rubbing soothing circles on his back as Mike tried to get his breathing back to normal. When he felt Mike shiver beneath his touch, Harvey helped him to shrug off his soaked jacket and shirt and wrapped to towel back around him, rubbing Mike’s back through the towel to both sooth and warm. The shivering subsided, and Harvey allowed himself to relax a little, though he still kept his hands on Mike, to comfort the other man. 

“There are driers in the units,” Miranda offered gently. “And bathrobes you can use while your clothes dry.” Harvey thanked her, and gently asked Mike if he was feeling up to walking. When Mike nodded, Harvey helped him to stand and walked next to him, ready to catch him if he fell. Tiffany led them into the unit on the top floor where she and Miranda lived, while Miranda stayed behind to clean up the glass from the cup Harvey had dropped. Tiffany showed them to the large bathroom and pointed out where the heavy cotton bathrobes hung. She left them to undress together, saying she would be back in a few minutes for their clothes.  

Harvey sat on the edge of the bathtub and pulled off his wet shoes and socks, then removed his tie and jacket. He tried to focus on undoing the buttons of his shirt as Mike stripped off his pants beside him. Harvey blushed and turned his head away when he saw from the corner of his eye Mike hooking his thumbs in the waistband of his boxers. He didn’t turn back until he was certain Mike had the bathrobe securely tied around his body. Harvey pushed his pants down, feeling incredibly self-conscious as he wondered if he ought to strip completely, if Mike would expect him to and be curious if he didn’t, if he could actually bring himself to remove all of his clothes around Mike in a clearly non-sexual context.  

Fortunately Harvey was spared deciding that when Mike left the room carrying his wet clothing. Harvey quickly stripped off his boxers and wrapped the bathrobe around his body before hurrying out to where Mike was settling himself on the couch. He didn’t want Mike out of his sight if he could avoid it.  

Tiffany took the clothes from them and loaded them into the dryer. Harvey was privately appalled by the idea of drying his suit in a standard home dryer, but he knew the chlorine had already ruined it and he was only drying it to have something to wear back to the office, where he would fortunately be able to change into his spare.  

“How did you know what to do?” Mike asked softly as Harvey joined him in the living room.  

“I worked as a lifeguard in high school,” Harvey explained. “They drilled CPR and emergency response training into us until it became second nature.”  

“Is there anything you can’t do?” Mike asked with a smile.  

“Not much,” Harvey answered, smirking back at him. “How are you feeling?”  

“Better,” Mike said. “My nose still hurts a little, but I can breathe normally. I have a bit of a headache, too, but it’s not that bad.”  

“Tell me if it gets worse,” Harvey ordered him, and Mike smiled.  

“So that you can whip out some kind of freaky medical skills and fix it up?”  

“So I can get you an aspirin,” Harvey corrected, smiling despite himself. If Mike was joking around like this, he couldn’t be too shaken up.

Tiffany came from the laundry room and sat with them, asking more about Harvey’s lifeguard training. The crisis having been averted, conversation naturally flowed back to business when Miranda returned. Harvey discussed with the two women the deal they could make, to both get the price they wanted and prevent future customers from receiving the same treatment. Once they had worked out the conditions, Harvey agreed to have a contract drawn up that they could look over before he offered it to Morison. He continued to discuss details of dates and times for meetings with Miranda, while Tiffany chatted quietly with Mike.  

“You’re lucky to have a boyfriend who can do things like that,” Tiffany commented to Mike, and Harvey tuned into the conversation. If Mike had a boyfriend, it was news to him. “Saving your life and being a hero- it’s romantic.”  

Harvey swallowed down a rush of jealousy at what Tiffany said about Mike’s boyfriend. He told himself that he should be glad if Mike had found someone. If that person made him happy, that should be good enough for Harvey. Not that it was really his business in the first place, but. A good boss had to take at least some interest in his employees’ personal lives, because they performed better when things went well outside of work. Really, Harvey told himself, this was a plus for him; it meant Mike’s work would be that much better.  

Mike looked down at his feet as he scuffed his toes in the carpet. “He’s not… Harvey and I aren’t dating,” Mike mumbled, sounding embarrassed.  

“No?” Tiffany asked. Harvey felt just as shocked as she sounded. He had no idea what might have given the impression that he and Mike were together. “But it’s so obvious! You both like each other.” She glanced between them, searching their faces, Harvey’s no doubt surprised, Mike’s uncomfortable and insecure and, maybe, just a little hopeful. “Am I wrong?” she asked innocently. 

Harvey watched Mike’s expression, trying to read in it if the hope was truly there or not. Mike glanced at the ground, then up again, his eyes locking with Harvey’s. There was definitely hope there. Harvey had always been a little bit of a risk-taker. He decided to take a chance on this too. “You’re not wrong,” he said gravely, and saw Mike’s face light up as he processed the words.  

“No,” Mike said. “Definitely, definitely not wrong.” He was grinning like an idiot, and Harvey had to smile tenderly in response.  

“Oh, good,” Miranda said. “I’m glad you’ve finally go that worked out. I swear, the sexual tension between you two could be cut with a knife!” Harvey felt his cheeks heat, and Mike turned his face away. Harvey wondered if it had been obvious to their other clients and their coworkers as well.  

“You know,” Tiffany sighed, “this is usually the part where the two leads kiss.” Mike giggled at the ridiculousness of it, and looked up at Harvey sheepishly. Harvey had to admit, it sounded like a good idea, but what he really wanted to do wasn’t exactly appropriate for an audience, let alone an audience he worked for.  

Harvey stood and went over to Mike, and the younger man rose to meet him. Harvey lifted one hand to the back of Mike’s neck, feeling his damp hair and the cotton bathrobe beneath his fingers. He leaned in and pressed a gentle, chaste kiss to Mike’s lips before pulling back.

“What, is that all?” Miranda asked, and Mike laughed and blushed.  

“The rest can wait until we get back to my apartment,” Harvey replied amicably, wrapping an arm around Mike’s waist.  

“I’ll go check on the clothes,” Tiffany volunteered with a smirk. Harvey looked over at Mike and met his eyes, and he could tell by the look in them that Mike wanted to leave just as quickly as Harvey did. He pulled Mike in for another kiss, just a little deeper this time, to hold them both until they could get away.

 


End file.
